This is my National Fishing and Boating Week and the Outdoor Blogger Network.
I can still clearly remember the first time I ever caught a fish. Sitting on a dock at Lake of the Ozarks, I was fishing with a minnow strung onto the end of a pole with a bobber as big as a beach ball. I will never forget the thrill of landing that first crappie and I can still remember the smirk I got on my face when my dad called it a crappie, pronouncing it like crap. Hmmm…. Dad said a swear word and I could get away with it every time I went fishing. I don’t know which was the bigger draw for me – saying a swear word or watching my dad fillet up that one tiny morsel for my mom to dredge in flour and fry in a pan. Either way, I was hooked on fishing for the rest of my life.
It’s interesting to reflect on how our roles have changed since I was that 10 year old girl toting an old fishing rod around. Small acorn bobbers and jigs have taken the place of that giant bobber and the plain hook. Dad no longer has to remove my fish from the line and mom now does what we affectionately call “the Nonny dangle” as she waits patiently for me to shove a wax worm onto her jig. As a kid I had to be content to sit and fish off the resort pier. Now I enjoy the freedom of my own pontoon boat as I chauffer my parents around the lake in search of the next big catch.
National Fishing and Boating Week falls June 4-12 this year and I will be on vacation that week with my husband, as well as my parents, who join us for this annual trip. Mom and Dad have spent 2 weeks with us every summer for the past 19 years. During that time we have made a lifetime of happy memories as we cruised from one honey hole to the next.
One day it may be Redear or Bluegill…..
Another it may be striper….
Or on a really good day, it could be bass…
The best thing about fishing is that I was able to share my love for this hobby with my kids. It’s a tradition that started with my dad, I continued with my husband and we passed on to our children.
The common thread fishing line that strings it all together is the smile on our faces as we share the day. Whether it’s a shriek of “worms on the loose” when the bait gets knocked onto the floor, or a collective “Awwww” when the biggest fish of the day breaks the line, there is still plenty of laughter to go around. At the end of the day, as the sun sinks and sputters into the lake, we always head back to our cabin a little sunburned, slightly tired and yet very content.
So let me say “thank you dad” for taking me fishing and giving me a lifetime of happy memories on the lake. There is no place I would rather be.
Take advantage of National Fishing and Boating Week. I‘ll be out on the pontoon with my mom and dad, searching for the bluegill. What will you be doing? Make a memory. You’ll be glad you did!
What a great post! We used to go fishing when we were little and I loved it. My brother has been the one to carry it on though, he loves fishing and has passed that love onto his sons. It is very relaxing and a great way to spend time with family. Good luck and enjoy every minute of it!
ReplyDeleteGreat catches too!! :)
Thanks Michelle! We are fishing addicts and we go every chance we get. You should try to get out with your brother some time - I bet you'd have a ball!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post and even greater family memories! My daddy is the one who taught me to fish also, so thanks for bringing back those memories to me today.
ReplyDeleteDaddy also taught my daughter to fish, but when she was little she wouldn't eat the fish they caught. Daddy would clean them up and then "package" them on a styrofoam tray, so she'd think they came from the store. It was years before she finally learned the truth and now she loves telling this story to her daughter.
Hugs
Styrofoam tray!!! Thanks for giving me my laugh for the day - that was a good one.
ReplyDeleteLove it Kim....you and I have so so much in common....We (daughter and I) are heading out to the old fishin' cabin in NC tomorrow with my Dad...none of us are any happier than spending the time together...whether or not the fish are biting!! Ironically enough, there is a little cove that we fish next to, less than 1/4 mile from the cabin up the creek, it's called 'snug harbor'....how about that for irony!! =) We also spend 2 weeks with my parents, and daughter and her husband....it used to be camping/fishing but now it's at Sanibel Island!! Love the post....and I went geocaching!!
ReplyDeleteShelllady: I love finding other locations named Snug Harbor. We used to stay at a cabin in Wisc. when I was a kid named Snug Harbor.
ReplyDeleteOk, this is too funny - I am heading for Sanibel Island NEXT week!! I do an annual trip there each year. Do you read the Sanibel Island message board?
Also, I want to hear about the geocaching. Which one did you do and how did you like it?
I see the comment I left last week disappeared with the blogger issues, but I do remember that I told you my daddy taught me to fish and my kids. My daughter wouldn't eat the fish they caught, so daddy would wrap the fish up on a styrofoam tray after he cleaned them and tell her he bought it at the store!
ReplyDeleteFishing is a GREAT family activity!